Grade 9

Welcome. This video will provide information on what students can expect when participating in EQAO’s Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics.

EQAO assessments provide parents, guardians and educators with information about student attitudes and achievement in literacy and numeracy in Ontario’s education system. The information provided assists policy-makers and researchers in making decisions about and supporting continuous improvement in students’ learning.

The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is administered near the end of the Grade 9 mathematics course. Educators have the flexibility to determine when assessment sessions will be scheduled within the administration windows set by EQAO.

EQAO assessments have been modernized to allow for a more engaging and student-focused experience. Students will complete the online assessment at school.

The questions in the assessment align with the expectations in The Ontario Curriculum and measure the knowledge and skills students are expected to have learned by the end of the Grade 9 mathematics course.

The assessment consists of questions that cover students’ knowledge and skills in the following strands: Number, Algebra, Data, Geometry and Measurement, and Financial Literacy.

Although the assessment does not measure the content in the Mathematical Thinking and Making Connections strand, students will be required to apply the mathematical processes while completing the assessment.

The Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics is an online assessment that includes two sessions—Session A and Session B. Each session has two stages and is designed to be completed in approximately 60 minutes. The assessment uses a multi-stage computer adaptive testing model that adapts to individual students’ performance as they progress through each assessment session.

At the end of the two assessment sessions, students will complete a voluntary questionnaire that asks them about their attitudes and perceptions with respect to mathematics and their learning environment. EQAO will use this data to provide schools, boards, teachers and parents and guardians with information on how student attitudes and perceptions are related to students’ mathematics achievement.

Students will have an opportunity to participate in an introductory session of the assessment with their teacher. This will help familiarize them with the online e-assessment platform.

During this introductory session, students will complete a sample test and tool exploration, where they can try out the tools that will be available during the assessment, such as the tool for drawing lines, the highlighter tool and the eraser tool.

All students can also use the assessment’s built-in accessibility tools, including the line reader, the zoom-in and zoom-out features, a text-to-speech reader and a high-contrast mode.

A built-in calculator is also provided. The EQAO formula sheet, which includes mathematical formulas students may require during the assessment, and the EQAO English–French and French–English glossaries are also available in the e-assessment platform. Students can have hard copies of the glossaries to use during the assessment.

Students are also allowed to use their own calculator (scientific or graphing) and a pencil and paper for rough work during the assessment.

Before completing the assessment, students also have access to reminders of test-taking strategies, and relaxation and visualization activities to help them stay calm and focused. There are a variety of question types that students may complete during the assessment, such as single-selection, multiple-selection, drag and drop, and drop-down menu questions.

Anyone who would like to become familiar with the format of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics, and the types of questions that may be included in the assessment, can refer to the sample test on EQAO’s website.

Since the assessment is aligned with The Ontario Curriculum, which is used for classroom instruction, the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics does not require additional preparation.

A framework document that provides a description of the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics, including what is assessed and the assessment design, is available on EQAO’s website. The framework also includes an assessment blueprint that shows how many questions students complete from the different strands of the Ontario Grade 9 mathematics curriculum.

Individual Student Reports (or ISRs) are made available to teachers after the completion of the assessment sessions. Students will receive their report from their teacher to bring home.

The ISRs provide information about each student’s achievement on the assessment. Results of this assessment are to be included as part of a student’s final course mark as per the Ministry of Education’s Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation and Reporting in Ontario Schools document and its addenda.

This information enables students, parents and guardians and teachers to plan for improvement. Please visit www.eqao.com to learn more about the Education Quality and Accountability Office.